The Star. WEDNESDAY, MAY 2, 1928. PROTECTING FOREIGNERS IN EGYPT.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18453, 2 May 1928, Page 8

The Star. WEDNESDAY, MAY 2, 1928. PROTECTING FOREIGNERS IN EGYPT.

F I ''HE IMMEDIATE CAUSE of the visit of British warships to Alexandria is the Public Assemblies Bill, which has been brought before the Egyptian Parliament. That Bill, which professes to regulate public meetings and demonstrations, would really have the effect of encouraging riots, and these riots in Egypt have always been directed at the lives and property of foreigners. The national aspirations of Egypt are not threatened by Britain’s ultimatum so much as by the fanaticism of extremists, because Egyptian sovereignty was granted only on condition that four reserved points should be satisfactorily settled between Britain and Egypt. These points are:—

(1) The security of British Imperial communications (with special reference to the Suez Canal).

(2) The defence of Egypt against foreign aggression. (3) The protection of foreign interests and minorities. (4) The control of the Sudan. The Egyptian Premier, Sarwat Pasha, after a week of continuous conversations with the Foreign Office in London, returned to Egypt thoroughly satisfied with the treaty that had been made in regard to these reservations, hut the rejection of the treaty by the Egyptian Government threatens to put the clock back to 1922, when Great Britain declared Egypt independent. At the moment the burning question is the Assemblies Bill, but in other directions the interests of foreigners and minorities have demanded constant watching. For instance, an attempt was made recently to transfer the present jurisdiction of Consular Courts in the case of foreigners to the Egyptian Mixed Tribunals, the procedure of which is known as “ inquisitorial,” and in which the Bench is empowered not only to accuse someone of crime but to investigate whether a crime has been committed. “ Theoretically the Bench is impartial,” says an English writer, “ but as there is frequently no accuser, or only an anonymous accuser, and as the Bench has to conduct the prosecution, the tendency is for the judges in the procedure of investigation to become prejudiced against the accused. Furthermore, the investigation is secret, written, and uncontradictory. The questioning of witnesses during the actual trial is carried out by the judge or judges, and there is no other cross-examination worthy of mention. The rules of evidence are few and rudimentary, and there is no jury in the Egyptian system.” It is hardly necessary to show what grave abuses connected with the trial of foreigners on real or trumped-up charges might occur under sufch a system in a country that is seething with Anglophobia, and there is simply no alternative left for Britain than to insist strictly on the terms under which she has undertaken to protect the lives and property of foreigners resident in Egypt.-

r | 'HE PLEA of Mr W. Machin for a reduction in the present overdraft rate of 7 per cent is of special interest to-day, because the time has undoubtedly come when traders might bo given a little relief. The increase of the rate was a perfectly sound move, and it had the desired effect of convincing the public of the need for economy. It may, indeed, be necessary to do the same thing later on, but meantime trade is languishing for lack of funds, and the whole commercial community would appreciate relief at the hands of. the banks. It would, in fact, be a great encouragement to all who have to work on borrowed money, and would undoubtedly tend to reduce unemployment. WHY has there been a slump of 10,646 radio licenses in New Zealand this year as compared with last year ? The answer can hardly be that listening-in has become less popular, and the ingenious explanation has been put forward that many people who can rig up indoor aerials have decided to carry on without a license. If this is the case it is a very poor compliment to the honesty of New Zealanders generally, and it can be accounted for only by the fact that a great many people consider that radio, being on the air ready for anyone to tap, should be free to all, and that it is no sin to practice a little deception on the authorities. Such a view, of course, is quite indefensible, but it does raise the question as to whether too much is not being charged for a radio license fee. In England the fee is 10s, and it hardly seems fair to charge three times that amount in New Zealand, especially for crystal sets, which have a very limited range.